Lawmakers aim to cut CHL training requirements in half

Two Republican lawmakers are carrying bills that would cut the training required to obtain a concealed handgun license in Texas by 60 percent; from 10 hours of classroom instruction to four.

Texas Governor Rick Perry fires a six shooter at an event in Fort Worth. Photo by Rodger Mallison / AP.

State Rep. Dan Flynn of Van and state Sen. Donna Campbell of New Braunfels say their bills (HB 47 and SB 864) streamline the course without threatening public safety. The House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, composed of seven Republicans (including Flynn) and two Democrats, will consider Flynn’s bill Thursday morning.

“You spend a lot of time taking breaks, you spend a lot of time hearing stories,” Flynn told WFAA last month. “A lot of people want to get their license but they have to take a day off from work or they have to take a whole Saturday to go do this.”

Campbell, whose measure hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing yet, said through a spokesman the course requirements haven’t been revisited since 1995, when they were originally put into the statute, and that individuals will still have to demonstrate proficiency and pass a range exam if the bill becomes law.

The Homeland Security and Public Safety committee heard testimony last week for six hours on bills that would allow CHL holders to carry on college campuses, but did not vote. Many who testified at the hearing cited a state law that allows individuals with CHL’s to carry concealed in the State Capitol. There is even an expedited line through security for license holders.

Bordering states have similar times established for CHL courses: Louisiana requires nine hours of training, Oklahoma requires 8 and New Mexico requires 15. Utah only requires 4 hours of training and Texas honors Utah permits within the state.

Texas “ranks” fourth in the United States in concealed handgun licensees. As of the end of last year, the state popularly known for it’s Wild West culture, registered just over half a million CHL holders, compared to Florida’s 950,000.

The Texas Department of Public Safety oversees and administers CHL’s in the state. The course covers the use of force, gun safety, gun storage, conflict resolution and Texas laws regulating concealed handgun license holders. To obtain a license in Texas, an individual must be over the age of 21, complete the 10 hour course, pay a fee, pass a background check and a 50 question exam and a range proficiency exam, according to the DPS website. Licenses last up to five years and then the individual must re-take the course.

If Flynn’s bill makes it out of the heavily-Republican committee, it will then face the full House.